carbohydrates

Cultural

Substances composed of long chains of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon molecules. Sugar, starch, and cellulose are all carbohydrates. In the human body, carbohydrates play a major role in respiration; in plants, they are important in photosynthesis.

Discover More

Carbohydrates in food provide energy for the body and, if present in excess, are stored as fat.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

carbohydrates

When scientists disabled this protein in laboratory experiments, cells began consuming more fuel, including fats and carbohydrates.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

"I don't mind that though because there is definitely a psychological aspect to REDs. Why are you doing this? Why are you not eating the carbohydrates?"

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

“That helps it get delivered to the cells because carbohydrates provide energy.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

Another name often cited among commentators is Taiwanese-American biochemist Chi-Huey Wong for pioneering synthesis methods for complex carbohydrates and glycoproteins.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Suddenly millions of Americans gave up bread and other carbohydrates and started eating mainly meat.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023